La Tejedora (The Weaver)
by Scrap Metal Skeleton
Summary: The crew stumbles upon a mysterious girl who they then take to her island. However, after Luffy goes missing will they be able to save him before he is taken off the island and sold into slavery?
1. Chapter 1

**_CH1_**

**_ (I only redid some areas, which is why you are seeing this chapter again, maybe, I don't know how this site works very well)_**

**This is my first fanfiction! MERCY. Might be some OOC because of that. And speaking of O's and C's, I am including my persona (man, I really hate that word) in this but no worries no OCxCannon to ruin the story. Inspired by several works by the amazing, Zinfer~**

**Also! I would like to say that I'm not from a country that is in the Metric system, but I'm trying my best to convert so I'll be using metrics. If any of you guys see something that sounds crazy out of proportion, please tell me and I'll fix it!**

* * *

"SAAAAAAAAAAAANJIIIIIIII!" the dark-haired boy yelled from the deck of the Merry Go. A few seconds later a blonde-haired man peered out from the door of the galley.

"What is it shitty rubber?" he asked although he already knew the answer. What else could the boy want?

"Sanji! I want meat!" the boy exclaimed to the cook.

_Yep, I was right, _Sanji thought as he sighed. "You just ate only an hour ago! How are we going to last to the next island if you eat every moment of the day!?" They'd never ran out of food before, but this was the Grand Line and there was a first time for everything. He still had to be cautious.

"Aww…but Sanjiii!" the boy said in a whiney voice and pleading eyes.

It was hard to say no to a face so full of hope, but the cook knew he had to be resilient, "I said no! You'll have to wait until dinner! It's only five more hours, I'm sure you won't starve!" With that the boy put on a pouty face and then ran off to bother the sleeping swordsman a few feet away. Sanji again sighed and then went back to the galley.

When Luffy approached the sleeping marimo, he slid open one eye and grumpily asked what the boy wanted.

"I'm booored! Sanji won't fix me any meat so I'm hungry too." When he didn't get any response he opened his mouth to speak again but noticed that the swordsman had again fallen to sleep. He had been kept up almost their entire stay at Nekojima (Translation: Cat Island) by the parading cats during the day and their loud cries at night. Luffy doubted he would cure his boredom, so he bounced off in search of someone or something that would.

After a short trip up to the quarterdeck he found both Chopper and Usopp. In excitement he rushed up to them with a smile, "What are you guys doing? Wanna play tag?" he inquired hopefully with a grin.

"Sorry, Luffy we can't right now. We're in the middle of developing a stronger sleeping drug." Usopp said not looking up so as to not lose his concentration.

"Yeah, sorry Luffy, we can play when we're finished though!" Chopper said happily.

Luffy made a pouty face again and walked off with his hands behind his head. He checked in on Nami and Robin but they were both busy discussing the information they had gotten at the previous island. Without anyone to play with the dark-haired boy he sulked to the front of the ship and climbed atop his perch on the figure head of the Merry.

"At least you have time to play with me Merry," he said looking off into the sea. He smiled rolling onto his back. As he stared out into the distance he noticed something floating in the water about a kilometer to the right of the ship. He squinted his eyes to try and see the object better. At first he just stared then slowly a smile played across his face and he jumped up and rushed to the galley. Upon reaching the door the boy tripped and busted it open, effectively giving everyone in the room a heart attack except Robin who simply calmly looked up from her book and smiled.

Usopp was the first to speak as he came rushing around the corner and into the room, Chopper at his heels.

"Luffy!" he said noticing the door spilt in two at his feet. "I told you to be careful with the Merry! She was a gift from Kaya, we have to take good care of her!"

He was going to continue with his lecture, but Sanji cut him off.

"Oi, Shitty rubber! You could have harmed Nami-swan or Robin-chan!" the cook said pointed the ladle from the soup he was making at the boy.

The boy dismissed the allocutions like he hadn't heard them, "Guys! You have to come and see! There's a blue fish floating on a box! SANJI, let's catch it and eat it!"

They looked at him with confusion, but before any of them could question him, he bounded out the door (or rather there lack of) and they quickly followed after exchanging glances.

They found Luffy leaning over the railing on the right side of the ship pointing and smiling at the blue figure.

Upon noticing the figure Sanji's eyes widened and his cigarette dropped from his mouth, "Could it be?" he paused swallowing in disbelief, "A beautiful mermaid come to bestow a kiss upon her brave sailor."

Usopp gave him an annoyed face, "You're delusional."

"Stop talking you two idiots and one of you jump in and save her!"

"Perhaps she is dead." Robin said calmly.

"OOOIII!" Luffy called, "ARE YOU ALIVE?! OOOIII!"

"Don't worry, your brave sailor with save you!" Sanji said removing his coat, but before he could jump over the railing Luffy shot his arm and pulled the figure back with amazing speed. The girl slammed into Usopp, who let out a yelp, and they both crashed into the railing on the opposite side of the ship.

"LUFFY!" Nami yelled and punching him over the head.

"Agh! Nami! What was that for?!" he said covering the bump on his head.

"IDIOT! What do you think!? You can't just-"

"AH!" Chopper squealed already over at Sanji's side, "Blood! She's bleeding! Someone call a doctor!"

"But you are him, Doctor-san," Robin said coolly.

"AH! You're right!" the reindeer said before morphing into his Heavy Point and picking the girl up gently and then carrying her to the galley. The others joining him shortly after he set her down and went to work except Usopp, who was still laying upside-down against the railing.

"How is she Chopper?" Nami asked.

"Mellorine!" Sanji cried, and then turned to Luffy with blazing eyes, "Shitty rubber, you better not have hurt this beautiful woman!"

"I see how it is, no one worries for Usopp." Usopp said walking into the door way scratching the back of his head.

"Everyone out! I need to work in peace!" Chopper yelled and they all obeyed startled by the urgency in their friend's voice.

Sanji leaned against the wall, clenching his shirt in his teeth, "My poor mermaid-chan!"

Usopp looked at him, "She wasn't even a mermaid; she had legs. But if you want Captain Usopp can tell you all the story of when he saved an entire island of mermaids from a 50 kilometer giant. It all started when I left my-"

They all ignored him and Nami turned to Luffy who was sitting with his legs dangling over the railing.

"Luffy!"

He turned his head to look at her.

"I told you you shouldn't have done that and now the poor thing is hurt!" She raised her fist intending to bring it down upon the boy's head who raised his arms in defense. Then suddenly Chopper appeared in the door way and asked for Robin to come help him. She obliged and walked over to him.

"Chopper?" Nami began, "H-how is she?"

He looked up at her sadly.

"I'm not sure."

* * *

**Okay, so nothing really exciting happened yet. Sorry about that! I promise the next chapter will be more interesting! Tell me how I did, especially with keeping them in character!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CH2**_

**Next chapter. Yay. Woohoo. Yes. I actually wrote this on the same day as chapter one but I held it off because I'm a jerk, but I'm a lazy jerk and wanted to make it seem like I can keep some sort of schedule. Anyway, read on my pretties~**

**Oh and if I forgot to mention this story was also inspired by getting bit by a spider for the first time! AND then getting bit by another 2 weeks later!**

**My flesh thanks you for reading!**

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Robin followed Chopper while the rest of the crew stood outside.

"What did you need me for, Doctor-san?" Robin asked with her usual smile.

"Well, she- maybe I should just start from the beginning," he paused looking at the sleeping girl in front of him, "She had some metal shrapnel in her shoulder and her leg. I managed to remove it and stitch the wounds easy, but-" again he paused this time biting his lip, "she's been poisoned, but I can't seem to find an antivenin because I can't identify the venom. I don't know what to do…I didn't want to tell the others, so I only asked for you." Tears were forming in his eyes.

Robin knelt down beside the reindeer, "But Doctor-san, are you not the doctor of this ship? You cannot give up just yet, I'm sure you'll figure this out."

Chopper wiped the tears from his eyes, "Jerk! Saying that won't make me happy! But…Yeah! You're right! I'll go get some of my herbs and find a way to make that anti-venom! Robin! Would you do me a favour? Could you stand watch by the door? I don't want anyone near her yet."

"Of course, Doctor-san," Robin said smiling casually and walking to the door. Chopper smiled back and ran off to get his herbs after telling the others to leave her alone for now.

"Robin!" Luffy yelled running up to her, "What're you doing? Where is Chopper going?"

"Doctor-san is going to get herbs for his patient, Captain-san. I'm watching her while he gets them."

"Oh, is she Okay? Nami says I have to apologize for pulling her onto the ship, but I don't know why I have to if she's okay."

"Doctor-san said that no one should go near her yet, but he will be back soon and you can ask him then."

Luffy tossed around the thought in his head, "Okay! Ah, but Robin did Chopper make her invisible?"

Robin turned only to find the girl was no longer there. She turned back to Luffy.

"You're right. I wonder where she went to. Captain-san, we should go and tell Doctor-san and the others."

"Okay!" Luffy said as he ran off to get the others.

Robin turned again to look where the girl had been laying. Her expression was unreadable.

"WHAT?!" Nami yelled in surprise, "What do you mean she's gone?! Ah, well, whatever we have to find her! Chopper said she still needed treatment!"

The crew frantically searched the ship, all except a certain swordsman who was still sleeping on the deck.

"Zoro! What do you think you're doing?!" Nami yelled after hitting him over the head.

"Agh! What the heck was that for, witch?!" he yelled back at her, but before she could reply Sanji threw a kick at the swordsman, who blocked with his still-sheathed swords.

"Bastard! How dare you treat Nami-swan like that!"

"You wanna fight, Ero-cook?!"

"Shut it, Marimo and apologize to Nami-swan!"

While the two continued their usual antics, Robin crossed her arms and activated her powers.

"Ojos Fleur," she said closing her eyes.

"Everyone," they stopped, looking up at her, "I've found her."

Robin pointed in the direction the ship was sailing. A few kilometer ahead the girl was sailing with a makeshift raft made out of a barrel and scrap wood. Her blue coat being used as a sail.

"She's made it quite far in such a small amount of time," Robin said smiling.

"At this rate we won't catch up to her!" Nami exclaimed.

"Ah! No! We have to catch her! She's-she," Chopper paused before continuing, "Guys, she's poisoned! If she doesn't get help she'll die!"

"Yosh!" Luffy said clenching his fists, "Don't worry Chopper, I'll get her!"

"Wait, Luffy, you're not going to…" Usopp trailed off as Luffy stretched out his arms grabbing the Merry's figure head and pulling back.

"LUFFY WAI-"

But it was too late the raven-haired boy released his footing on the deck and rocketed off into the distance.

The brown-haired girl leaned forward, the mast of her makeshift raft in her hands as she sailed slowly forward. The sun seared at her blue eyes. The waves rocked her slowly back and forth, the world seemed to spin so she looked down trying to get her eyes to focus on the waves lolling against her raft. She felt weak; her eyes threatened to shut.

"That doctor must've used some sort of sedative. My body feels like it's made of iron," she whispered quiet to herself. She looked up at the endless blue sea ahead, "but I can't let it stop me. I've no time to waste."

Her thoughts were broken by a yell from behind that seemed to be getting louder…or closer. She turned her body slowly, her hands still gripping the mast. Her fatigued expression soon changed to confusion as a screaming figure flew from the sky and into the ocean a few meters in front of her raft. She stared at the place where the figure had crashed into the ocean, still donning her confused face, waiting for the figure to resurface.

The boy struggled to the surface his arms flailing about. "Help…can't…sw…" was all he managed to squeeze out before he plunged down below the surface.

"What?! What the freakin' 'ell kinda pirate can't swim!?" She gave and annoyed groan before leaping into the water after the boy.

She cringed as the salty water nipped at her wounds like a thousand needles piercing her skin. The salt water stung her eyes as she searched the waters for the boy. A hint of red to the right and she bolted as fast as she could to the fast sinking shape. After wrapping her arm around his chest she kicked as hard as she could toward the surface. She felt the boy's heart beat in his chest. _Good, still alive,_ she thought. When they reached the surface, they immediately dropped below again. She wasn't strong enough to hold another person above the water and the narcotics weren't helping.

"Dammit! Can't you at least float or something?!" she yelled beginning to panic as she thrashed her legs at the water. Luckily the raft and not drifted far and she managed to heave the boy's upper body onto it. After he was secured she swam around to the opposite side and do the same.

"Damn," she said panting, "that sure was fun."

"Thanks!" Luffy said smiling and gasping as well.

"Yeah, sure," she smiled back at him.

"Wait…" Luffy paused, "HAT! Where is hat!?"

The girl looked up confused, "Hat?"

* * *

**Okay, so yeah, sucky point to stop at but I'm tired; it's 2 AM. I had hoped to get further but I wanted to post it with a burning passion! I didn't lie though! As promised there is some action! Tell me how I did!**

**I'll start on CH 3 tomorrow...er...today!**

**...**

**I think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A quick note: I refer to the Merry Go as a person so that's why I use words like "she" and "who." Also kind of a long chapter with a bad point to leave off. I was in a writing mood but ran out of time.**

* * *

"Hat?"

The boy didn't respond, his eyes still moving wildly about, until they focused on something behind her.

"HAT!" Luffy lunged forward only to be shot back down on the barrel by an arm around his neck. The boy struggled against her hold.

"Are you insane?!" the girl yelled into his face, "Ya obviously can't swim worth a crap! Ya can't even float right!"

The words did not reach the boy and he lunged again, "HAT!"

The girl again grabbed him again this time with both hands, "I'll go get your hat, okay?! Just stay on the freakin' barrel!"

He stopped struggling and looked at her grinning, "Oh! Really?! Thanks!"

She rolled her eyes and pushed off from the raft. The boy's hat had drifted quite a ways, but it did not take long to find and bring back. When she reached the raft she plopped the hat onto the boy's head.

"Thanks a bunch!" he said grabbing the rim of the hat in each hand and smiling nearly sliding off the raft in the process.

"You're one interesting guy." she said between pants.

"Yeah, you're kinda weird too!" the boy said with a smile and began to laugh. The girl's physiognomy changed from confusion to pleasure and she laughed with him, humoured by his apparent bluntness.

"Oi!" Usopp yelled from the deck of the Merry who had just caught up.

Before Luffy even set foot on the deck Nami was in his face, yelling and cursing and smashing him over the head, which woke a certain marimo from his sleep, finally.

"Oh, morning already?" he said half asleep.

"YOU!" Nami shifted her attention from Luffy to the swordsman, "What do you think you're doing sleeping again?!"

He ignored her, noticing the unfamiliar figure before him, "Who the heck is this?"

"Just go back to sleep forever, useless marimo," Sanji said without looking.

"What was that, Curly-brow?" Zoro said standing.

"Only stating the obvious Moss-head!"

"You wanna go?"

"Shitty swordsman!"

"Dartboard-brow!"

With that they began, again, their usual routine of cursing and fighting.

"Hey!" Chopper ran up to the girl, "What did you think you were doing running off like that! You're still injured!"

"Oh, well I-" he didn't give her a chance to respond, instead he forced her to sit and began to palpate her wounds and clean them of seawater.

He stopped and looked up at her.

"Are you alright? Do you feel any nausea or dizziness?" He put his hoof to her forehead, "You don't seem to have a fever."

"My wounds aren't so bad that I'd have one, are they?"

"Well, no, but my result said you were poi-"

"GAH!" the girl yelled as she was suddenly whisked away by a rubbery hand.

Luffy reeled her in so that she was standing next to him.

"Guys! She saved me when I fell in the ocean!"

"Yeah, 'fell,'" Usopp added sarcastically.

"Shitty Rubber! Don't treat a lady so harshly!" Sanji reprimanded, abruptly stopping his fight with Zoro. He turned to the girl, "Forgive this idiot, would you like a drink? Some desert? My unconditional love?"

"Um, none of the above?" she said gingerly, smiling, "Uh, I guess I should apologize for leavin' without giving my thanks and then putting you through all that trouble to get me." She paused, "I have a prior engagement and I'm kinda on a, eh, a tight schedule. I was on a…"job"… and I got caught in a storm and couldn't rendezvous with my crewmates."

"Seems like quite a day," Robin said.

"Oh! Wait a minute. We haven't introduced each other, have we?" Nami exclaimed.

"Right! I'm Luffy! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

"That is Nami, she's our navigator. She likes money and tangerines!"

"Idiot…" Nami sighed.

"This is Robin; she's our archeologist," Robin smiled and waved slightly.

"This is Usopp; he's our sniper. He's a great liar."

"Oi…"

"This is Sanji our cook. He makes really good food!"

"I'll do anything for you my dear!~" Sanji cooed.

"This is Zoro; he's our swordsman. He sleeps a lot."

Zoro remained silent, staring at the girl, his arms crossed.

"And this is Chopper; he's our doctor and he's really cool because he's a reindeer!"

Chopper gave a worried look. He looked as though he had something to say but he hadn't yet decided if he wanted to say it. When he noticed eyes on him he smiled and said hi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Gatlingyr, but please call me Gatling," she nodded her head in a slight bow.

Robin's smile vanished as she heard her name.

"Great now that we're all cozy and introduced, how about we prepare for battle," Zoro said in an annoyed tone. They all looked at him odd, "There's a marine ship headed this way." He lifted his arm and pointed to other side of the ship.

"YOSH! Prepare for battle!" Luffy yelled throwing his fist into the air.

"Hey," Gatling poked Luffy on the shoulder, "Would it be alright if I handled this?"

Luffy looked at her and then smiled after a pause, "Okay!"

She smiled, "Thanks."

"Wait a minute, Luffy! How do we know we can trust her?" Zoro asked.

"It's okay Zoro! She talks funny!"

He looked at the boy mouth gapped slightly, obviously confused.

"How does that make her any more trustworthy!?" Nami yelled.

"Just trust me!"

Nami sighed.

"Hold on a minute!" Chopper yelled, "As your doctor I can't let you fight! You're in no condition to fight!"

"No worries, doctor. I won't need to fight much if I play the game right," Gatling smiled.

She grabbed her trench coat and headed towards the galley, "I'll be back in five minutes, don't engage 'em."

"They'll be HERE in five minutes!" Usopp cried.

She smiled and the closed the cruelly repaired door behind her.

"Luffy! We should get out of here!"

"No, I trust her."

"But, Lu-"

"Usopp, there's no use," Zoro said sitting down, "he's made up his mind. Just let it happen."

Usopp sighed.

The marines were here before long and oddly instead of firing, they boarded. About twenty or so men, armed with rifles and swords and behind them a very tall man with a white coat labeled, JUSTICE, across the back.

The captain.

"My, my. What do we have here? A couple of no-name scum?" he smirked, "My name is Captain Berg, do you prefer to die now or later?"

He raised his arm, signaling his men to raise their weapons.

"Lower your toys you pathetic bastards."

The door of the galley burst open, almost falling in two again. The brown-haired girl walked out of the doorway in full rear Admiral attire.

"What the hell do you morons think you're doing here?!"

Her voice was more stern and proper.

Captain Berg signaled his men to point their weapons at her as well.

"Who are you? Explain yourself."

"Tch," she rolled her eyes in annoyance, "You dumbass, this is a FAKE pirate ship. We're using it to lure real pirates out."

"Lure them? How would this lure them?"

"We're out for a specific crew, how well do you think infamous pirates like being impersonated? You being here will ruin the plan!"

He wasn't convinced.

"Prove it. I want formal permits and orders for this."

She didn't move.

"Well? Can you not produce them?"

She sighed and rustled around in her coat. She pulled out several slightly torn and rolled up pieces of paper and held them out.

He walked to her cautiously and then took up the paper and went over them. They seemed authentic.

"Rear-Admiral Jessica Parsling," he finished looking over them, "I'm not convinced; these could have been forged for all I know."

"Alright then, how CAN I prove myself?"

"You're supposedly a Rear-Admiral a few ranks above my own. Fight me, and if you win, I'll believe you."

"Fine."

Venom was seamed into that last word.

He raised his arm again and signaled his men to line up on both sides of the deck, ten on either side.

"I must warn you, I happen to be a Devil Fruit User," he sneered, "Sorry, but, you cannot defeat me."

With that he transformed into a human-rhino hybrid and crouched into an attack position.

He wasn't known for his looks.

And she wasn't daunted.

No one was.

"Oh, really," she poised herself for strike, "Well, Mr. Devilman, watch closely, because I'm about to kick your fruity ass."

He growled and then, without warning, charged.

"You bitch! I'll tear you apart!"

He stabbed his horn at her.

He was slow and clumsy and she dodged.

"Feral Tempo: Python's Recoil."

She used the recoil of his attack to add to her kick.

The attack hit him in the jaw and thrusted him upward into the air.

The girl threw the chains on her swords' hilts to latch onto the ships mast and pulled herself to his position.

She kicked him again using the momentum of her jump and sent him crashing back onto the deck.

He didn't move.

"Now that I've proved myself," she walked up to him and took him by the collar, "Get the hell off this ship."

Then she threw him over the side and turned to the marines, "That goes for you sorry lot as well."

"You! You'll pay for what you did to our Captain!" one of them said.

"If you love him so much I'd advise you fish him out of the sea before he sinks too far."

They looked at each other school and then all piled over the railing racing after their leader.

The girl looked over the railing at the scrambling men and then turned to Luffy holding a piece of paper in her hand, "Thanks, I got what I needed."

"Sure thing!" he gave a toothy smile.

"What is that?" Nami asked.

"It's a schedule for several marine ships. It will tell me some of their routes."

"Alright, explain yourself," Nami demanding crossing her arms.

Gatling sighed, "Fine then. Before you ask, I'm not a marine, and I'm not a pirate either, but many of my clients are pirates."

"Clients?"

"I guess you could say I'm an information broker. I dig up or steal info on the marines and sell it to the highest bidder. Of course, even I have morals, and I won't sell to anyone I think will abuse the information. I haven't been caught so far, so the marines haven't given me a bounty, but they do know someone is giving out information."

"'The Indigo Vagabond,'" Robin said.

Gatling turned to her, "Yeah, I'm known by that title among pirates and bandits, glad to know word gets around. I'm rather fond of that name."

"You know her Robin?" Luffy asked.

"No, but I've heard pirates speak of her. She is said to be very trustworthy but other than that and her title not much is known about her."

"Does that mean we should trust her?" Nami questioned.

"Well, I trust her too and that's that!" Luffy smiled his famous smile and bounded off.

"If you don't mind me asking, what island are you headed to?"

"The next island is unmarked on our map, but we left Nekojima a week or so ago and we should arrive at the next island at dawn tomorrow."

"Oh? Then the next island is El Reino de las Arañas, (The Kingdom of the Spiders). It's my homeland. I was actually planning on headed there to drop off money to my village. I haven't visited in years."

"I-island of spi-spiders?" Usopp questioned.

"Yes, as you could have guessed it's named after our large population of spiders. In fact other than birds and small rodents, spiders are pretty much the only animals on the island. The island is home to all known, and maybe unknown, species of spider. In fact there is a super rare spider known as the Devil Spider. It can liver for thousands of years and can grow to the size of this ship and bigger! How do they do this? They eat Devil fruits, one every 100 years. No one knows how they can consume multiple fruits. It's another mystery of the Grand Line I suppose. No one can capture one to examine it. There is a theory that their saliva, possibly their venom, has a compound that rejects the devil in the fruit and sends it to another. They fed off the energy released. Oddly enough their venom is harmless."

"Agh, I think my if-I-go-to-the-spider-island-I'll-die-itis is returning," Usopp said hunching over.

"Wow! Really? That island sounds awesome! FULL SPEED TO SPIDERLAND!" Luffy yelled throwing his fists into the air.

* * *

**Another note: Gatlingyr is my persona, but she is not a One Piece OC. She has her own unique story, but I changed her a lot to make her fit in the story line. Kind of made her seem Mary Sue here, but she's not actually that strong, that's one of the things I changed. Calling her a Sue would be like calling me a Sue and since I'm an actual person, you'd be a moron to say so. :I**


	4. Chapter 4

**I've been busy with essays and such at school so don't expect me to update regularly. Thanks for reading and remember to leave a review! They help me out a bunch and I'm always for improvement!**

* * *

The boy threw his arms into the air excitedly.

*gurrrrrr*

Suddenly he pulled his hands from the air and put them on his stomach, "SAAAaaanjiiiii, foooood," Luffy whined to the cook.

He blew out a puff of smoke, "Fine, dinner's probably ready by now anyway."

"YAY!" with that the rubber shot straight to the galley.

"Wait you idiot!" Sanji ran after him hot on his heels.

The others followed, except Robin who walked up to Gatling.

"Your homeland sounds quite interesting. Could you explain to me what it's like?"

"Oh well, it's kind of hard to explain. It's covered in forestry and it's got a tropical climate. Anything else you'll probably have to see for yourself."

"I see."

"Oh, and-um-" she paused scratching the back of her head, "I wanted to say thanks, ya know for before."

Robin smiled, "Of course. We should probably get to the galley. Mr. Captain has quite the appetite."

Gatling smiled, "Okay."

They both walked to the galley.

***Night***

The sound of light footsteps moving across the deck woke Nami. She looked over at Robin's bed, of course Robin wouldn't be there, it was after all her watch, but something still wasn't right.

That girl! She wasn't on the couch across the room!

Panicked, Nami shot up and went out the door.

The footsteps were heading toward the front of the ship and so she would check there first. She peered around the corner. Gatling was sitting on the Merry's sheep head looking out into the ocean. Cautiosly, Nami walked up to her, and she made sure not to make a sound.

"My captain will be mad if he sees you there."

The girl jumped, "Ah, it's just you. Nami, right?"

"Yep."

"So he'd be mad would he?" she exhaled, "I can see why. It's really calming sitting here. Sitting her, he's always the first one to see danger. He seems like a great man to me."

"Yeah," Nami leaned against the railing, "he is great."

Gatling looked down at the navigator, smiling.

Nami noticed her gaze, "Wh-what?!"

Gatling rested her head on her hand, "You like him, don't you?"

Nami's faced turned hot red, "What!? Are you crazy!? He's-he's just my Captain. I respect him and all but-" she looked down avoiding the girl's eyes.

Gatling giggled and then continued to gaze into the sea, the sun would rise soon.

"It really is beautiful."

"OH! LAND! I CAN SEE LAND!" Luffy yelled from his special seat, "Hey! Ling, er, no! Gat! Where are you?! Tell me about the island again!"

No response.

"Ah! Don't tell me she tried to leave again!" Usopp said palming his forehead.

"We should find her!" Chopper exclaimed.

They all frantically searched the ship but she was nowhere to be found.

"She didn't take anything at least," Nami said.

"No worries everyone," Robin said from the crow's nest. She pointed to the mast where Gatling was laying limp above the sails, asleep.

"What?! You're kidding, right?" Nami said.

"Let her sleep," Zoro said, he almost sounded proud, like sleeping was an accomplishment.

"OI! Gat!" Luffy yelled, "Wake up we're almost to the island!"

She lifted her head and looked in the direction the ship was heading.

An island shaped like a thistle.

Home.

She smiled and jumped down from the mast.

"It's been a long time."

They arrived at South Port about half an hour later. No one was there to greet them.

There wasn't even a boat anchored anywhere in sight.

"Some welcome."

"Don't worry, they probably aren't sure about you guys. They probably all went to the village."

"Alright! To the village!" Luffy yelled.

They were probably in the village.

It seemed logical, but it was wrong.

As they entered the village the stench of blood filled their noses. The building were in shambles, skeletons adorned the pathways.

"M-maybe we shouldn't be here guys…" Usopp said shivering with Chopper hiding behind him.

Gatling's expression did not change, it was unreadable.

She lead broke off from the group, walking into a house that was probably in the best shape, although that wasn't saying much.

She stood in the middle of the room kneeling down and staring at a specific place on the floor.

Nami opened her mouth to speak but closed it when Gatling spoke first.

"Something isn't right here. It looks like the skeletons and broken houses have been like this for months, but it that's true why is this cup still full of coffee?" she looked to the fireplace, reaching out and feeling the coals with her hands, "And these coals are still warm. I think someone wants us to think it happened long ago, when really, this could have happened only a few hours ago!"

"But bodies don't decompose into skeletons in a matter of hours," Nami said.

"These bones are only a few hours old," Robin said examining one of the skeletons.

"But, that's impossible," Chopper mumbled.

"There is a species of spider that eats larger animals, like humans. It spits out their bones minutes later. So it is possible," Gatling said standing, "Someone wanted to make it seem like this happened awhile ago, but why?"

"Perhaps they anticipated to conceal the fates of the villagers," Robin suggested.

"You're probably right," Gatling said looking away, trying to mask her anger.

"Gah," the brown-haired girl clasped her hand on her collar bone.

"AH! That was a Recluse Spider!" Chopper pointed out and dashed over to her, "I should apply an antivenin so it doesn't hurt you!" He began rummaging through his bag, but she stopped him.

"Don't waste it on me, I don't need it. My ancestors injected small amounts of venom into themselves to create immunity long ago. No venom on this island can hurt me."

"Ah! That must be what I picked up in your blood stream! GAH!" Chopper yelled surprised.

She nodded, "So save your cures for your nakama."

"We should probably check the rest of the village for any surviv- I mean residents," Sanji said catching himself before he said something he'd regret.

"_You can try, but you'll find no one, alive at least_," the voice came from outside.

They all froze before shooting out the door. Sitting on the village fountain with his legs crossed and his head resting in his hand was a lean man in a suit with metal pauldrons and cuisses. He wore a plain white mask that covered the tops half of his face. He smiled when they took notice of him.

"Welcome to the masquerade."


	5. Chapter 5

**CH 5**

**I've had A TON of work to do for school. Essays, tests, essays, quizzes, essays, homework, ESSAYS. Come on! Three of them in a period of two weeks? Okay. I'm finished now, thankfully, and have a little time for writing so here we go!**

* * *

The man smirked from his perch, but did not even flinch when the crew drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

"Oh my, we've got a feisty group of children today," he jeered.

While the others ignored his comment Nami took notice of his choice of words.

"We?" she questioned lowering her Climatact slightly.

The man's sneer only grew.

"Come out my Lady, let them bask in our glory together," he chimed, standing and extending his arm, gesturing it to the side.

A woman appeared suddenly from the shadows. She was tall and slender. Her hair was pitch black and curly and her eyes were fiery coals, burning deep within her eye sockets. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and heels. As she looked over the group of pirates she gave a chilling, toothy smile, exposing sharp dagger-like canines.

"OH! What a beauty!" Sanji swooned.

She ignored him.

"Aw, they all look so young, poor dears. It really is a shame we have to kill them all."

"It is indeed, my Lady," the man put his hand on his chest and looked down at his feet attempting to look remorseful.

"Well, Mr. Horacio, shall we begin?"

"Why, yes, my Lady, we shall."

They walked slowly toward the group, like wolves closing in on their prey and without warning lightning struck all around them.

Fires erupted.

They were trapped.

"GAH!" Usopp cried, "We're trapped!"

"Trapped?!" Chopper yelled.

"Wait, lightning?" Nami looked at Robin for confirmation.

"It could be him," Robin said calmly.

"Enel?" Sanji inquired.

"He did have the power of lightning."

"No, I recognize the woman," Gatling intervened, "She's a devil fruit user."

"Oh, you know me do you? Forgive me if I do not recall you, my dear," she smirked, "You're correct though, I am a devil fruit user."

White and black feathers emerged from her pale skin. Her arms transformed into wings and her legs morphed into the legs of a bird, talons and all. A black beak that looked like it was made of obsidian appeared on her face.

Again she smiled.

"My name is Lady, and I ate the Mythical Zoan Fruit: Bird Bird Fruit Model: Lightning Bird."

She took off and hovered about ten meters in the air.

"OI! Do you poop?" Luffy yelled.

"Oi! Don't ask a lady such a thing!" Sanji yelled angrily at the boy.

She took notice of Luffy, "Oh my, what do we have here?" She smiled and flew a little closer, "A man with a bounty, and a devil fruit user, Monkey D. Luffy. Mr. Boss would love to have him, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Horacio?" She looked over to the man.

"Of course my Lady. You know what to do," he said bowing and striding back a few steps.

"I'll take the green haired man and the one in the suit."

"Splendid, I shall take the orange-haired woman, the animal and the long-nosed man. The other two women can play cat and mouse with Mr. Boss."

"Hey! Wait! Why are you doing all this?!" Nami yelled, preparing an attack secretly.

The man and woman exchanged looks before nodding and turning their attention back to the pirates.

"Oh very well," the woman began, "We'll tell you, it might make this more interesting. We're slave traders you see. We pursue rare and unique beings and sell them at the highest bid. It's nothing intricate, just a way to make a living."

"But why'd you attack this island?!" Gatling yelled.

"These islanders have unique blood that can be used as a universal antivenin," she smirked, "Nobles are willing to pay top dollar for their personal antivenin supply. It's all the rage these days."

Sarcastic.

"You're using them like livestock! They're people you can't do that!"

"Oh? But we can and do you know why? Because we are stronger than them and our will trumps theirs."

"GRAAHHHH!" without warning Gatling threw her chained sword at the woman, aiming for her heart.

The woman merely laughed as she grabbed it and flew into the air. The chain, being attached to the girl's belt did not relent and she was lifted off the ground with it.

No one had time to process it as the man made his move, drawing a sword seemingly out of thin air and, catching the group off guard, successfully managed to separate them with two long swipes.

The skies turned dark as the bird woman flew higher and lighting seemed to strike randomly everywhere at once.

But it wasn't random.

Far from it.

"Robin!" Luffy yelled over the raging tempest, "Can you get Gat?"

She nodded and searched the skies for the woman, not finding her.

No, the woman found her, grabbing her and tossing her along with Gatling far into the forest.

"Leave them to the rats and the spiders!" the woman laughed.

"Robin!"

"Robin-chwan! Gatling-san!" Sanji yelled beginning to run toward the forest only to be stopped by a ten meter tall wall of lightning and fire. Over it he saw the figures of his beloved Nami being carried away by the bird woman.

Oh and the other two where there too (referring to Usopp and Chopper).

"If you want to help them you'll have to defeat me first!" the man yelled at the cook and the swordsman.

Sanji turned to Zoro, "Of all the people why do I have to be stuck with you!"

"I didn't ask for this either, Love Cook!"

"Whatever! You just better not slow me down. My beloved ladies need their knight in shining armour!"

"More like dumbass in tinfoil."

"What did you say?!"

"Ahem."

"So you're deaf too?! Not surprising!"

"Excuse me we were about to fight-"

"Shut up, Moss-head!"

"Swirly-brow!"

"HEY! We were about to engage in combat gentlemen!"

They turned to his abruptly, "SHUT UP!" they both yelled and attacked simultaneous.

A smirk.

The scuffling of heels.

The clatter of swords.

The trap had been sprung.

The man smirked as the two pirates fell into the pit and crashed down into the murky waters.

"Are you two alright down there?" he cooed down to them, "As it turns out this island has a huge system of underground caves – an entire labyrinth in fact! I wish you luck gentlemen! Ta!" The man turned on his heels and pranced away, delighted that he had taken care of them so easily.

But he hadn't.

The water was ice cold –frigid- it bit at their skin like a thousand tiny needles piercing and piercing all at once. It did not take either of the men long to find their bearings and head toward the surface. As soon as their heads met the surface they gasped for air, their bodies already felt numb.

"Agh, this is all your fault," Sanji gasped holding on to the roots protruding from the mud caked wall only for them to give way as if tehy weren' connected to anything.

"My fault?! How is this my fault?!" Zoro yelled back.

"If I hadn't have had to deal with you, I'd be saving my beloved Nami-swan right now!"

With that Sanji began rambling on and on about himself being a knight and Nami being a damsel in distress.

"Pfft, whatever," Zoro let the the hysteric cook's words slip pass his ears. He drew one of his blades and stabbed it into the wall only to find that it stopped before it was even five centimeters deep. They were too deep in the cave system to dig into the walls, beneath the thin layer of slippery mud was a sheered layer of steel.

This was not some random trap; they planned this out.

Thoroughly.

He glance over to the love dazed moron next to him. He was still blabbering on about women. No surprise there.

"Yo, Love Cook."

"What do you want shithead?"

"We can't climb out of here so we should swim down," he gestured out what he was saying as he said it.

"Idiot! Swim down? And what if it's a dead end and we freeze to death?"

"If you go in one direction long enough you always find a way to where you need to go!"

"How does that make any sense?!"

"Pfft, whatever, you probably couldn't handle swimming that long anyway!"

"What did you say?! I coul- I can swim circles around you!"

"Wanna bet?!"

"Sure, Algeahead! First one to find the exit wins!"

"Bring it, Dartboard!"

If their emotions could manifest, the water would be a sauna.

They both dove under the water and began swimming as fast as they could. It was dark, very dark, but that didn't stop them.

But the cold might.

* * *

**GAH** **I finally found a relatively good stopping point! I've had this one sitting here forever and just couldn't get past the point when The encountered Mr. Dumbas- I mean Horacio. I really feel like I'm doing a poor job getting down the story, guys. Maybe it's because I'm writing it myself, but I don't feel like it's getting "suspenseful." Ah well, I have to finish what I started anyway, I'd hate to leave anyone who's actually enjoying it hanging. Unfinished stories are the saddest kind! It'll get "hurty" and stuffs within the next two chapters, I'm sadistic like that too.  
**

**I still have a lot of school work and general art work (Halloween Costume time! :D), but I'll try to upload at least once a week, for you, my pretties!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**CH 6**

**This chapter took FOREVER to start, it took me feeling like crap to get it done. I actually regret adding my persona in here, but it was initially how the story had played out. Being attached to one of the characters in the story in this way makes it much harder to write a story. A good one anyway. Okay. Done. Go read.**

* * *

The bird-woman swerved and sliced through the air, laughing hysterically like a witch from some half-assed, drive-in horror movie.

The three young pirates screamed as their bodies were jostled in her grip. Then as suddenly as their flight of fear began, it ended, but it ended with the unwelcoming force of gravity driving them into the ground at a steep enough angle to make them tumble a few feet before crashing into an unforgiving stone wall. Or was it a boulder? A cave wall, maybe?

The bird-woman circled above them like a vulture; she at least had the charm of such a beast.

"Ow…" Nami said rubbing her lower back. Usopp and Chopper shared her opinion of this unfortunate event and also brushed their sore bodies.

"Man…" Usopp began rubbing the new bumps adorning his skull, but as he observed his surroundings, he abandoned his old sentence, "What the hell? W-where…W-what is this place?" They rose taking in the new terrain.

They were in some sort of large crater that had to be at least 15 meters deep if not more. The bed rock seemed to have been carved into, by what, was a total mystery. Their next observation made their blood run cold and their bones ache with fear. Gilding the steep walls of their enclosure was webbing thick enough that they could barely see the bedrock behind it. Cobwebs. Entangled in these webs, were skulls and bones of _large_ animals, of humans.

"EEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIII!" they screamed in unison embracing each other in terror. Their trepidation only worsened as the bird-woman landed and tauntingly explained their situation.

"Oh? So you've noticed. Yes, these poor souls wandered in here completely oblivious to what dwells in these caves," she said looking over the pit. She looked back at them without turning her head, "You can try to escape, but I don't recommend it. These webs are as strong as steal and if you're caught, you're done. Finished," she stressed the last bit before her words swirled into a howl of cruel laughter and she took off once more, "Make sure you give them some good exercise before dinner!" She then flew off, still laughing. They eyed her until the laughter faded completely.

They remembered Gatling's stories of man-eating spiders.

"GAH! I don't want to be dinner!" Usopp yelled.

"We're going to be dinner!?" Chopper squeaked holding his head between his hooves.

They screamed in unison until two dainty hands crashed over their heads. Their terror flipped; the woman before them posed a greater threat.

"You idiots! We're not going to die! Do you honestly think there are giant spiders here?!"

"N-Nami-" Usopp began shivering and holding Chopper in a mutual bear hug of perpetual fear.

"What is it?!"

"B-behind you…" Chopper squeezed out pointing a shaky hoof behind her, tears spilling over his eyes.

She froze, finally sensing the presence behind her. She felt for her Climatact but remembered she had dropped it upon impact and it now lay stuck in the webs opposite her location. Her skin paled instantly and slowly she turned, ignoring her instincts to run. Again, her blood chilled at the sight before her.

She let out a blood-curling scream as the creature lunged forward.

They were doomed.

Surely. 

XXXX

"Damn," The brunette said heaving herself onto her elbows.

"It would seem the woman cast us into the middle of the forest," Robin said coolly, standing.

"Y-yeah," she replied taking in her surroundings, "You okay?"

"Yes, the brush seems to have broken my fall, but are you alright? You're wounds might have reopened."

"Eh," she shrugged, "Ya got a good doctor; I'm fine. Anyway, we should pro'ly get outta the forest. This place is pretty hostile and your crew-mates might need help."

Robin nodded in agreement.

They had barely begun walking when they heard a chilling scream from behind them.

They turned instantly and spared a quick glance at each other before dashing in the direction it had emanated from.

XXXX

"GRAH! DAAAMMMMIIITTT!" Luffy cursed running like a bat out of Hell toward the direction the bird-woman had carried his nakama, "Damn bird woman! Give back my nakama!"

He'd been running through the forest long after he'd lost sight of her. The sky was still a dark shade of grey and seeing anything proved to be a challenge as the boy's foot lodged itself between a protruding root and the earth, effectively causing him to fall face first into the ground. If he hadn't been made of rubber he'd probably have broken his leg, among other things.

"Uff," he let out as his face connected with the sod, "dammit…where did she go?"

"Can I help you find someone?" a voice hummed from somewhere to his left.

He sat up and was met with the cold gaze of a black-haired man. He sat upon the boulder like he belonged there, his large frame casted an outsized shadow on the ground before him. He smiled mockingly, "You look rather lost."

"Ah! Yeah, I'm looking for a bird-woman! She took my nakama and flew away but I lost her! Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Of course, I did send her after all."

The boy's eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed, "So I guess that makes you an enemy then." He broke into his usual fighting stance.

His sneer only grew.

"Where are my nakama? Tell me. Now."

Foolish boy.

"It hardly matters. For you, I mean. You won't be seeing them again."

"Oh yeah?! Don't be so sure! You haven't won yet!"

"But I have."

That sneer. It seemed to sting the raven-haired boy.

No, wait. He had actually felt that! His eyes shot onto his shoulder where a coin-sized spider crawled. It wasn't a sting; he'd been bitten, but, by what?

He hadn't had time to ponder the thought any further as a sudden wave of fatigue enveloped his lanky frame. He felt dizzy the world swirled about him, trees looping into circles, the light of the Moon dimmed. He staggered on his feet and swayed in all directions. He breathed heavily. His heart pounded in his head. It felt like he had fallen into the sea, only worse.

"Wh-whud…y'…do…" was all he could squeeze out. The man's sneer was the last sight he beheld before collapsing into the brush.

The man didn't bother to reply; the boy was unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

**I finally got to some plot in this one; who can guess the spider that bit Luffy? Hmmmm?**

**Oh yeah, sorry about no Zoro and Sanji. They died. They're ghosts bickering like an old married couple in the deepest pits of New Jersey. **

**...**

**'K. **

**Bye.**


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